Sickening revelation seven-week-old baby died with 'cocktail' of drugs in its system while co-sleeping with substance-abusing mum and stepfather

A cocktail of illicit drugs was found in the system of a seven-week-old baby who died following repeated concerns for his welfare made to authorities by hospital staff. 

The child, known as Baby B, cannot be named for legal reasons and was born to a substance-abusing mother who staff at the Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne suspected was still using drugs while 20 weeks pregnant. 

The staff raised an 'unborn alert' for him with child protection services and they had recently commenced an investigation when the baby died while co-sleeping with his mother and his stepfather, whom they had ordered to stay away, in December 2020. 

Coroner Audrey Jamieson found this week the child died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) category 2, reported The Herald Sun.

This is used where a baby has died in their sleep from an unknown cause and when suffocation or mechanical asphyxia cannot be confirmed or ruled out. 

Coroner Jamieson said a hair sample test revealed the baby had more than half a dozen drugs in his system that had been ingested through breastmilk, formula or 'environmental contamination'.

These were methylamphetamine, tramadol, codeine, morphine, methadone, oxycodone, diazepam, 6-monoacstylmorphine, and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. 

Numerous concerns about the welfare of the child had been raised with authorities since the first report of his mother's suspected drug use while pregnant in June 2020.

The child was born in October and the following month Child Protection, part of the Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, was told the boy's mother verbally threatened his older sibling at a supermarket while potentially on drugs.

A few days later Baby B was seen with a black eye which his mother claimed was from an accident involving his older sibling.

That same month staff at a hospital where the stepfather was admitted after falling from an electricity pole while drunk, reported she had yelled and swore at her children and neglected their needs while visiting him.

Child Protection in consultation with the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency, Lakidjeka, undertook a risk assessment and found the child not at risk in the care of his mother pending a full investigation and no incidents involving drugs or violence.

In late November another report was made to Child Protection alleging both children were neglected, the home environment was a shambles and the mother did not have proper parenting skills.

A little over two weeks later on December 5 Baby B was found unresponsive after sleeping between his mother and stepfather.

A full Child Protection investigation was at that point underway.

Coroner Jamieson found the sleeping position of the baby was 'potentially hazardous'.

'These risks are exacerbated where the parent/s use alcohol and/or other drugs,' Judge Jamieson said.